Percolator



Dea 25, 1928. 1,696,451

w. A. RANKIN PERGOLATQR Filed Jan. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 63 63 61 1'7 i 60 l 60 A I 37 5: W, 1" -35 \l If Z6 l I i A! llmmnuu INVENTQR g 7 6%z5 ATTOM W. A. RANKIN PERCOLATOR Filed Jan. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Dec. 25, 1928.

INVENTOR M/m, & ATTORN- a llllllllll lllll llllllul lllllllll' llPatented Ben. 25, 1928.

tlNl'l'F. STATES WILLIAM A. RANKIN,

CORPORATION, OF ROCHESTER, NEW

OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIG'NOR TO ROBESOIEI-EOCHESTER YORK, ACORIPOBATION OF NEW YORK;

PEBCOLATOR.

Application filed January 20, 1928. Serial No. 248,078.

This invention relates to percolators, and has for its principal objectthe provision of improved valve mechanism for opening and closing theinlet openings of the fountain tube of a percolator.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a valve of such form thatit will not become clogged by coffee grounds and will not stick althougha. sticky substance may become deposited on the valve seat.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a "alve which will notinterfere to an appreciable extent with the flow of liquid from theheating chamber to the fountain tube.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a. valve whichwill offer a minimum of resistance toopening and closing. It is stillanother object of the invention to provide a valve which is cheap tomanufacture and simple to install or repair, and which is not liable toget out of order.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvementsand combinations of parts, all as-will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away, of a. percolatorshowing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the fountain tube of the percolatoras viewed from the right in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the lower part of the percolatorand fountain tube showing the valve in elevation;

Fig. l is an enlarged vertical section through the lower end of thefountain tube showing the valve in section and in its closed position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the valve open;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 66 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of one of the valve members 3 Fig. 8 is a sideelevation of the valve as viewed from the left in Fig. 7; i

Fig. 9 is a vertical elevation through the lower end of a. percolatorand fountain tube showing another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is th rough the a fragmentary vertical elevation lower end ofthe fountain tube,

showing the modified form of a valve in its open position;

Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 1111 of Fi9;

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a horizontal section on the line 1313 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section on the line 14 -14 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 15 is an elevation of the modified form of valve member, and

Fig. 16 is a perspective view thereof.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

The invention may be applied to percolators of well known constructionswhich may include, for example, a casing 21 forming a liquid reservoirresting upon a base 22 in which is formed liquid heating chamber 23, theupper portion of which is formed by a cylindrical wall. 24. A fountaintube 25 has an enlarged portion 26 at the bottom thereof, which portionis flared outwardly as shown in Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, and is adaptedto embrace and rest upon the top of the cylindrical wall 24 of theliquid heating chamber.

At the top of the fountain tube 25 there may be placed the usual basket27 adapted to hold ground coffee or tea leaves, the con struction ofthis basket and of the dome 28 above it being of any well known form.For example, the basket may be of the kind shown in the patent to Swan1,8093%, dated July 8,1919.

In the side walls of the enlarged portion 26 at the bottom of thefountain tube there may be formed inlet openings 30, through whichliquid may flow from the liquid reservoir 21 into the fountain tube 25,2G and the heating chamber 28. These inlet openings have valvesassociated with them, and it is to such valves that the presentinvention relates.

The valve shown in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive includes two body portions 31each of which comprises a curved wall. Flanges 32 and 33 extendoutwardly from the top and bottom edges respectively of each bodyportion 31. The sides of the body portions terminate in an oblique planeat an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the body portion 31, andflanges 34: extend outwardly from the side edges of the body portion inthe direction of this oblique plane, as shown clearly in Figs. 6, 7 and8.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, a threaded hole 35 isformed in each valve and a pin 36 is screwed into this hole. Openings 37are formed in the sides 26 of the fountain tube, directly beneath theinlet openings 30, these openings 37 being of such size that the pins 36have free play therein, as shown in Figs. t and 5. These pins 36 act assupporting members for holding the valves 31 within the fountain tube,so that the valves will remain opposite the inlet openings 30 and willnot drop down below these openings. Normally the two valve members willbe tilted inwardly toward each other so that their upper ends will be incontact, as shown in Fig. 5, their lower ends being supported by thepins When. the parts are in this position, it will be seen that theinlet openings 30 are open and liquid will be allowed to flow from theliquid reservoir 21 into the fountain tube and liquid heating chamber.

hen the liquid within the heating chamber 23 has been heated to asuiiicieut extent, it will be ejected upwardly in a well known manner,because of its high temperature and the vapor pressure formed by theheat. Such upward movement of the liquid and vapor through the tapered,restricted passageway formed by the two valve members when in theposition shown in Figure 5, separates these valve members and forcesthem against the sides of the fountain tube 26, so that they will be insubstantially the position shown in Figure l. In such a position, itwill be seen that the inlet openings 30 are closed so that liquid cannotflow through these openings into the fountain tube or heating chamber.The heated liquid from the chamber 23, therefore, flows upwardly throughthe fountain tube without being impeded by an inrush of colder liquidfrom the liquid reservoir. l/Vhen the upward rush of liquid has ceased,the valves then fall back by gravity from the position shown in Fig. lto that shown in Figure 5, and cooler liquid from the reservoir 21 isthen allowed to error the fountain tube and to fill it and the liquidheating chamber 23. The liquid within the heating chamber then becomessufficiently hot so that it in turn is ejected upwardly, the valvesclosing during such ejection, and the cycle above describer is repeated.'llhus the pulsating upward ejection of liquid closes the valves at eachpulsation, and after each pulsation is completed the valves are againopened by gravity assisted by the pressrn-e of liquid outside thefountain tube.

A valve of a slightly differentform, which has some advantages over thatabove de scribed, is shown in Figs. 9 to 16 inclusive. In thisembodiment of the invention the liquid reservoir 21, the liquid heatingchamber 23, and the fountain tube 25 with its enlarged lower portion 26are all constructed as heretofore. Each valve is also of the samegenoral shape above described, and has a. curved body portion -11, topand bottom flanges t2 and 43 respectively, and flanges at extendingoutwardly in a plane at an acute angle to the axis of the imaginarycylinder of which the body portion 41 is a part. The lower corner of thevalve where the side flanges a l would join the bottom portion at? isbeveled or cut oif obliquely, however, as shown at 45 in Figs. 9 and 16.

In this construction the inlet opening 30 through the enlarged portion26 of the fountain tube is retained, but the opening 37 is omitted.Supporting members such as the pins 48 are screwed into threadedopenings in the walls 26 of the fountain tube, and these pins 48 supportthe valves, holding them in a position opposite the inlet openings 30.The oblique corners 45 on the valves adapted to rest upon the pins 48 asshown in Figs. 9 and 10, and these oblique portions 45 actas cams whichtend to force the valves against the side walls of the fountain tube.

Valves of this form are normally held closed by gravity, in the positionshown in Fig. 9. This has some advantages over the valves of the firstform above described, since normally there is no restriction in thefountain tube and the liquid from the heating chamber 23 has lessresistance to overcome in passing upwardly through the fountain tube.Thus a percolator constructed with valves of this form will start itspulsating percolations somewhat sooner than would be the case ifconstructed with valves of the form shown in Figs. t and 5, since thefirst weak pulsations may pass upward easily through the valves in thenormal position shown in Fig. 9, while pulsations of the same strengthwould be stopped or greatly weakened in overcoming the resistance of thevalves of the first form when in their normal position shown in Fig. 5.

After a pulsation has occurred, a large part of the liquid has beenejected from the heating chamber 23 upwardly through the fountain tube,and the level of liquid within the fountain tube is then lower than thatin the liquid reservoir 21, so that the fluid pressure within the tubeis less than that outside the tube. Thus the pressure on the liquidoutside pressing against the body portion ll of the valves opens thesevalves by moving them toward the center until they are in contact witheach other as shown in Fig. 1Ov When in this position, the inlet ports30 are open and liquid from the reservoir 21 is free to flow inwardlypast the valves and to fill the heating chamber 23. When the liquidpressure within the fountain tube is equalized with that outside, thevalves will drop back by gravity into their normal or closed positionshown in Fig. 9, and the liquid and vapor in the chamber 23 whensufficiently heat ed will then pass upwardly through the fountain tubein another pulsation, this cycle being repeated as long as the waterlasts and as the necessary heat is applied. If the heating chamber 23 isvery hot, the liquid rushing in through the inlet opening and fillingthe heating chamber may be sufficiently heated before the valves havehad a chance to close again by gravity. In such cases the upwardpulsation of liquid andvapor will occur when the valves are still openin the position shown. in Fig. 10, and the upward rush of liquid passingthrough the tapered restriction formed by the valves will tend to forcethem apart and close them exactly as was the case in the form of valveshown in Figs. 4 and 5. Thus it will be seen that in the first form ofinvention disclosed, the valve is normally open and is closed by theupward flow of liquid and vapor, while in the second form of inventiondisclosed the valve is normally closed but its closing may be assistedby the upward flow of liquid if such flow should occur before the valveis fully closed. Thus, in the second embodiment of the invention, theparts are so arranged that gravity assists the upward pulsations in thefountain tube in closing the valve openings and shutting ofi thedownward flow of the cooler fluid.

It will be noted that in both forms of the invention, the only parts ofthe valve in contact with the walls of the fountain tube are thecomparatively thin edges of the flanges, the body portions of the valvesbeing spaced from the Walls of the fountain tubes in both cases. Thisconstruction is found to be very advantageous in that it obviatesclogging of the valves due to coffee grounds and also prevents theirsticking in closed position on. account of the walls of the fountaintube being coated with sticky substances. If a large area of the valvehad to seat itself against the wall of the fountain tube in order forthe valve to close, it would be obvious that the valve would adhere muchmore firmly to the wall of the tube in case a sticky substance was onthe wall, and that much greater force would be required to open thevalve than would be the case if only a comparatively small area of thevalve was in contact with the wall as in the present invention.Similarly, if coffee grounds accumulate on the inside of the fountaintube adjacent the inlet opening 30, this will not interfere withcomplete closing of the valve, since the grounds may occupy the spacebetween the fountain tube and the body portion of the valve. In bothforms of the invention, the valve bodies are readily removable byunscrewing the screws 36 and 48 respectively.

The invention thus provides a percolator comprising valve means for thefountain tube of a reliable and efficient character and at the same timeof a simple form of construction which is inexpensive to manufacture andassemble.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to beunderstood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number ofways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precisedetails shown, but is intended to cover all variations and modificationsthereof falling within the spirit of the invcntionor the scope of theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a percolator having a liquid reservoir, a liquid heating chamber,and a fountain tube communicating with said chamber, the combinationwith an inlet opening in the side wall of said fountain tube, of asupporting member extending inwardly from said side wall, and a valvemounted within said fountain tube opposite said inlet opening, saidvalve having an oblique cam surface in contact with said supportingmember, said cam surface being so shaped that said valve is normallyheld by gravity in position to close said inlet opening and is capableof being moved by fluid pressure to a position in which said inletopening is open.

2. In a percolator having a liquid reservoir, a liquid heating chamber,and a fountain tube communicating with said chamber, the combinationwith an inlet opening in the side of said fountain tube, of a. valvemounted within said fountain tube, said valve having a body portionadapted to be placed substantially parallel to the side of said fountaintube and spaced therefrom, and having relatively thin, marginal flangesextending from said body portion to the side of the fountain tube aroundsaid inlet opening so that said body portion and flanges seal the inletopening.

3. In a percolator having a liquid reservoir, a liquid heating chamber,and a fountain tube communicating with said chamber, the combinationwith an inlet opening in the side of said fountain tube, of a valvemounted within said fountain tube, said valve having a comparativelythin edge for contact with the side of said fountain tube when saidvalve is closed, the rest of said valve being spaced from said fountaintube to eliminate a clogging thereof by coffee grounds and the like.

4. A valve for use in a coffee percolator, said valve comprising acurved body portion and a flange connected to the body portion at themargin thereof and extending at an angle thereto, said flange presentinga comparatively thin edge adapted to seat itself against a wall so as tolessen the likelihood of said valve becoming clogged or stuck by solidor sticky matter.

WILLIAM A. RANKIN.

